Final Review - E2 Flashcards
Fusiform Gyrus
region of the brain that is dedicated to perceiving faces
Prosopagnosia
inability to recognize faces
Vental Stream
object recognition (what)
Dorsal Stream
spatial perception (where)
Absolute threshold
the smallest amount of stimulation that can be detected – rests on assumption that subjects response is an accurate reflection of the subjects perception
Difference threshold
“just noticeable difference” (JND) - the smallest change in a stimulus that can be detected
Transduction
process through which stimuli reaching the receptors are converted into neural impulses … OR … how physical signals from the environment are changed into the neural signals sent to the brain (hair cells in basilar membrane in the cochlea)
Sensory Adaptation
a decrease in sensitivity to a constant level of stimulation
Rods
help to see in low light, at night, and in peripheral vision - very sensitive, but gray-scale vision
Cones
color vision - less numerous, need high light levels
Visual Pathway #1
light - cornea - pupil (iris) - lens - retina (rods/cones)
Visual Pathway #2
ganglion cells (optic nerves) - optic chiasm - thalamus - primary visual cortex
Pain
two distinct neural paths – to the somatosensory cortex (thalamus)
OR to the emotional centers of the brain (limbic system)
Olfactory bulb
brain center for smell – receives nerve impulses and relays the signal to other brain areas
Encoding
deeply encoded information is more meaningful
Vestibular sense
ability to compare one’s bodily position to the upright position (balance - and movement)
Acquisition
the formation of learned response
Visual Processing Pathway
rods and cones – ganglion cells – optic nerve – optic chiasm – thalamus
Long-Term Potentiation
the strengthening of synaptic connections between neurons that frequently fire together – NDMA receptors are involved in this process
Spontaneous Recovery
reappearance of a learned response after an apparent extinction
Law of Effect
behaviors followed by positive outcomes are strengthened, and behaviors followed by negative outcomes are weakened (Thorndike)
Reinforcement
increases the probability of a behavior occurring again (strengthens the response)
Punishment
decreases the probability of a behavior occurring again (weakens the response)
Reinforcer
a stimulus that occurs after a response and increases the likelihood that a response will be repeated
Classical Conditioning
a type of learning in which an organism comes to associate one stimulus with another – Order: CS presented – US presented, which elicits the UR – after many trials, the CS elicits the CR
Unconditioned
natural, innate response
Conditioned
learned through association
Dopamine
most important neurotransmitter for reinforcement learning
Positive Reinforcement
increase response with positive stimulus (often reward)
Negative Punishment
decrease the response by removing a desired stimulus (taking privileges)
Conditioned taste Aversion
link between taste (or smell) and illness, easily produced
Pleasure Centers
areas in brain that produce pleasure when stimulated (neurotransmitter associated = dopamine)
Memory
influenced by suggestion, is changeable, and can be inaccurate (Loftus)
Auditory Sense
eardrum - ossicles - cochlea - auditory nerve - thalamus - auditory cortex
Sensory Memory
brief, fleeting sense information - echoic = auditory, iconic = visual
Schema
mental framework centering on a specific theme, that helps us to reorganize social information
Explicit memory
system of conscious memory - aka: declarative memory
Implicit memory
system of unconscious memories - influences our attitudes and associations (non-declarative = very hard to put implicit memories into words)
Suggestibility
tendency to incorporate misleading information into our own memories
Retrograde Amnesia
the inability to recall past memories
Anterograde Amnesia
the inability to form new memories
Ames Room
distorted room that is used to create an optical illusion
State-Dependent Memory
recall is improved when internal states match during encoding and recall
Change Blindness
missing large changes in environment – perceptions are more limited then we tend to think they are
Case of H.M.
the hippocampus and the medial temporal lobes are responsible for the consolidation of new explicit memories
Watson and early behaviorists
observable events and acts were the only appropriate focus for psychological research
